Originally posted: 2022-02-07 ~ Last updated: 2022-02-08
From my dear friend @ruario I've learned about Facebook claiming it might leave Europe.
LOL.
I totally agree with Ruarí that they're bluffing, but I want to put it into stronger words: they want to scare, indeed, but likely not only regulators and politicians, but also journalists and other loud folks _who don't know how business works_. I don't know a proper word for people who are not very smart but are very loud, but they look like a right target audience for this Facebook message. "Now go to your EU senate representative and ask them to stop pushing Facebook (out of Europe)" - is it the message that Facebook wants them to hear?!
@ew0k later clarified that it's likely not a threat, but just how business works:
... they have to disclose any and all possible impacts on their business to shareholders.
I have nothing else to add just to admit that if it's true then I'm just a "loud person who doesn't know how business works". I'm sorry.
End of update.
Anyway, I want you to imagine an alternative reality where Facebook was indeed kicked out of Europe. Of course someone else will promptly take its place - and I bet it will be "Russian Facebook" vkontakte.ru, from east (Actually, that's a good idea for Vkontakte in our reality, too: push EU to suppress their competitor, eh?). But some 10~20 years later, vkontakte will grow into a next Facebook and get kicked out of EU, too. And what will come next? MySpace! "Hey, guys, we were waiting for you all this time, just around the corner!". And after that - LiveJournal (Do you remember them? Surprise, they're still alive!) will say: "Hey, guys, we won't spy on you, we promise, we have paid accounts to cover our expenses!". But people will learn from their own mistakes and all go to Gemini.
And cool kids will stay on Gopher.
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Poll: Do you think I'm funny? Do you think it's sad? Choose your option!
Stop drinking vodka, you Russian spy! (9 votes)
I already have VKontakte account, I'm ready (3 votes)
I still have MySpace account (0 votes)
LiveJournal is where life is (1 vote)
I saw it on Gemini first (13 votes)
I was on Gopher before Facebook came - I will stay there after it's gone (8 votes)
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